


More Side Stories

by MurkyMuse, OMGitsgreen



Series: Genderswapped Abi [6]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gen, fanwork crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:39:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurkyMuse/pseuds/MurkyMuse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OMGitsgreen/pseuds/OMGitsgreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Side Stories from the gs!Abi AU that take place within the time-frame of "Dragon's Den":<br/>1: Abi and Shuten enjoy the hot springs. NSFW (future side stories will be safe for work, but this one is not)<br/>2: Two Seiryuu - two thousand years apart - meet in a dream. (co-authored by OMGitsgreen)<br/>3: What happened between them kissing and the next morning in chapter one. (Another NSFW)<br/>4: While they wait out a storm at an inn, Shuten writes poetry.<br/>5: Zeno receives a letter. (Occurs during ch. 6-7 of Dragon’s Den)<br/>6: It was the first time Abi had ever divulged details on what had happened that day to Shuten.(Occurs during ch. 3)<br/>7: Shuten frequented the type of place that would make Abi stick her nose up like the noble she was. (Occurs during ch. 12-13)<br/>8: The wrath of a dragon is frightening. The wrath of parents even more so. (concurrent with ch. 15)<br/>9: “Come over here and make me.” gs!Abi/Shuten (and nsfw if possible, but not necessary) ^^ (AKA a prompt fic; and yes, it's NSFW)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hot Springs

**Author's Note:**

> *hides in embarrassment* Blame yuaiya and itsomgitsgreenblogging and everyone else that encouraged me to write this. Which is a lot of you people.

Abi soaked in the hot spring, her arms crossed as she leaned face forward on the rocks surrounding the pool. The warm waters lapped around her, soothing muscles sore from travel and an earlier sparring match. The cloth to cover her dragon’s eyes lay on the pool’s edge within easy reach. Just in case.

Steam fogging the air didn’t hide Shuten from her as he casually hopped over the fence separating the men and women’s sides of the spring. Water splashed and sloshed across the pool at the displacement. His modesty and sense of public spaces were apparently as absent as his towel.    

“Really, Shuten?” Abi questioned with a small shake of her head. She didn’t bother with moving. She was too comfortable.

“It’s not like anyone else is here”, he answered while swimming up behind her with a toothy grin and a suggestive glint in his orchid eyes that made Abi’s pulse sped up. It certainly wasn’t hard to guess why he had come over to this side of the fence, and Abi didn’t disagree with the idea. There was just one little hiccup.  

“And if someone shows up?”

One of his arms wrapped around her, hand cupping her breast. With his other hand, Shuten pushed her damp hair aside. Warmth, that had nothing to do with the spring water, flooded through Abi.

“Abi-chan”, Shuten hummed into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. “I’m sure you’ll notice anyone coming long before they get here.”

“You’re overestimating my ability to focus when-”

He leaned down, slowly kissing the most sensitive spot on her neck. Abi’s voice faded into a soft moan as she struggled to finish what she was saying.

“…you do…that.”

Shuten’s lips pressed against her neck, a satisfied smirk at her reaction. His hands moved caressingly as they trailed across her skin, exploring every inch in gentle worship. Abi both tensed and relaxed as she leaned into his touches like a moth to lantern light. As his mouth once again lavished affection on her, a shiver went down Abi’s spine. Her fingers clutched at the rocks. Her breathy tone was somewhere between demanding and begging.

“Shuten.”

That was all the encouragement Shuten needed. One hand traveled down her waist and hip. His fingers circled on the inside of her thigh a few times. Then he carefully moved a finger inside her, continuing the circling motions. Sounds, words floated past Abi’s ears. She didn’t catch the meaning behind them. Her mind lost in desire, she only heard the husky sound of her lover’s voice. Abi’s toes curled as her body began shuddering with pleasure. A gasping moan escaped her throat before one final shudder.

Only when Abi went limp with relaxation did Shuten move his hand, wrapping his arms around her so that Abi could lean against him. Golden eyes watched the steam drift up on the breeze and into the purple sky dusted with stars. Abi was very aware that Shuten’s eyes – hazily noting that they were the same purple as that night’s sky – were only looking at her.

After a few minutes nestled in his arms, Abi shifted around until they were facing. Her leg brushed against the rough scales of his dragon foot as she pressed close. Abi kissed him, his mouth greedily greeting hers while his arms tightened around her waist. They kissed with playful competitiveness until a break for air was needed.  

As Abi pulled away she lightly sucked on his lower lip. Her hands wandered down his body, the feel of lean muscle and old scars crisscrossing under her fingertips. Some of the scars she knew – the arrow points on his back and sides, the cut along his arm, the deep slice at his ribs –, while others were from before. With stories Abi did not know. Her hands gradually wandered lower to return his earlier favor. He hardened beneath her fingers as she toyed with the rhythm. A raspy groan fell from Shuten’s lips, his face painted a shade of peachy-red from the heat of the spring and moment as he unconsciously pulled her even closer.

“Abi, Abi-chan.”

“Not yet”, she whispered enjoying the sight and feel of his heart eagerly beating.  

Abi continued until he was quaking with the need for release, his night sky eyes half-lidded and clouded with an almost desperate desire. Wrapping one leg around his waist, she finally guided him inside her. Shuten quickly gripped her and pushed her back against the rocks, thrusting deeper. Small waves rippled across the spring with each movement. Calloused fingers tangled in dark green hair as Abi’s back arched. Grunts, moans, and mumbles blended together with the hiss of steam. The feel of jade scales scratched against her leg. Just when Abi thought he was done, Shuten pushed forward one more time. Their sharp gasps mingled in the breeze. Then he pulled out, his head collapsing on her shoulder and panting breath on her skin. Abi sighed breathlessly as well, her hands sliding from where she clutched his long hair down to his broad shoulders. She leaned against him, content in the moment.      

* * *

 

Later, curled around each other in the privacy of their inn room, Abi glanced at Shuten with his eyelids half-closed from sleepiness. His fingers lazily combed through her pale blue hair.  

“Were you whispering one of your sappy poems to me earlier?” She suddenly asked with quirked lips.

Embarrassment bloomed across his cheeks in a rosy pink, “…I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”    


	2. Meeting in a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two Seiryuu - two thousand years apart - meet in a dream. 
> 
> Collaborated with OMGitsgreen as a crossover between gs!Abi and If The Sky Could Dream (It Would Dream of Dragons).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This occurs during chapter four of Dragon's Den.

Abi sighed as she attempted to shift and find a more comfortable position within her tent. Everything was aching at that point, from her swelling chest to her back, and the morning sickness was not pleasant. Such was the burden of womanhood, Abi thought almost bitterly, because she couldn’t exactly be mad at the child growing inside of her. Besides, Abi had only known combat and strife for years. She doubted her ability to even be able to nurture a child. Abi knew certainly that she could, after all, she had been taking care of others her whole life. But still, raising a child was such a delicate art. Something she had missed out upon during her own youth after her mother’s death. Abi had to assume responsibility for the estate too young and could only hope her own child wouldn’t have to deal with such hardship. Abi was not sure she could keep that from her child.

How frustrating, Abi thought idly as she turned on her side yet again, unable to find a good position to rest. She knew that she would most likely be up again as soon as she fell asleep, which made the whole point of going to bed almost moot. How frustrating, she thought again, that the tent seemed so large and her blankets seemed so cold. Really and truly at that moment there was nothing more annoying than those things, and Abi knew for a fact that she wasn’t able to correct any of them.

And so Abi released an annoyed breath and gazed up through the tent to the night sky, laying upon her back as she began her age-old tradition of trying to count the stars in order to help her calm down and settle into a comforting sleep.

But truly, Abi thought as she felt her eye lids grow heavy as she was somewhere within the two hundred, both things seemed very much impossible.

* * *

In her dream was darkness. For some reason it didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar. It was the sort of darkness that existed when she closed her eyes or rested in a field on a summer night. It was a warm darkness, a deep almost soft darkness that was kind of hazy on the edges of her vision. She couldn’t recall ever having been there before. As Abi looked around curiously, she suddenly felt the presence of another and turned around only to come face to face with a man who made her jaw drop.

Because he had her eyes.

The dragon’s eyes burned golden in his gaze, and for the first time she understood the breath taking power of them: their iridescent glimmer, the marks of red painted upon his cheeks, and his wild blue hair cascading down his head. The other man seemed equally surprised for a moment before his face twisted into a grimace. Finally, Abi managed to form words with her lips as she took in her breath.

“Who…who are you?” Abi asked, though the sharp edge in her voice made it sound like a command. Abi attempted to straighten herself out before the stranger who to her shock just scoffed as if she was being ridiculous.

“Who do I look like? Have you already gone blind?” The man asked, his voice deep and gruff as he crossed his arms over his chest. Abi was used to certain things in her life, but the rudeness of this man rivalling made it so she couldn’t help but puff up in indignation.

“I don’t know what you mean by that. How could I possibly know you if we’ve never met? And no, I am not blind or going blind.” Abi demanded unable to resist tapping her foot on the ground as the edge of her sarcasm bit into her words. “Normally when you first meet someone it is only polite to tell them your name, so if you could speak it up I would be much obliged.”

“Well, someone’s a bit high and mighty.” The man said with a roll of his eyes, and Abi felt half-way ready to begin seething at him before he finally stated, “My name is Seiryuu. Seiryuu Ao.”

“Seiryuu…but…I’m Seiryuu.” Abi said before rubbing her temples, “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“What do you mean by that?” Seiryuu Ao demanded, “Of course I am a Seiryuu. Just like my predecessor before me and successor after me.”

“Wait…does that mean—“ Abi said as she sucked in a breath, “Are you…are you my child?”

A rough, ragged laughter came from Ao who tossed his head back and clutched his sides as he laughed obviously at her expense before wiping a tear from his eye and offering a smile.

“Trust me, I think I would remember if my predecessor was a woman. My predecessor was a man, as were all the predecessors I know of.”

“All the predecessors?” Abi asked in shock, “All of them?”

“How would you have not known?” Ao asked seemingly just as confused, as Abi stared at this man. It was impossible for this man to be her descendant. It was impossible but…how else could he have Seiryuu’s eyes? A sudden understanding was coming to Ao’s face. Their identical eyes met; and, Abi was suddenly frozen by the heat of his rage as he almost bared his teeth towards her.

“You!” Ao seethed, “Do you even understand what you have done?! It was your decision, your deal with that monster that has done this!”

Abi resisted the urge to step back. Her own rage bubbled up, and she shouted right back at him full force.

“Of course I know what I’ve done!” Abi screamed, “For my life I devoted myself to protecting Hiryuu and this country! How dare you! What do you know of my decision? My sacrifice? Everything I’ve been through?”

“You don’t understand the half of it!” Ao said bitterly, “It’s because of you that I barely have any time left! I’ve had to live my whole life as…as this and that’s not the part that hurts the most. You want to know what does? It’s the fact that as soon as I am dead and gone, that brat is going to have to go through the same thing! I’m not worth saving, I never have been! But he never did anything to deserve any of this, don’t you get it? And it’s because of this curse that I can’t share that burden with him anymore! Who is going to protect him if I can’t protect him? Who is going to ensure his happiness if I can’t? How…how will he ever find happiness?”

Suddenly the man clenched his hands into fists, gritting his teeth, and looked as if he was physically restraining himself from attacking her.

“Him? Who…who is him?” Abi asked her words filling her mouth like ash, “Is it your…successor?”

“He’s…he’s too kind. He can barely handle learning how to use his curse. He’s so clumsy…and he always says these things. About making friends and…and how…” He paused before saying, “I won’t be there anymore soon to protect him. I tried to teach him, but he just won’t listen. He’ll learn without me and that’s the worst part…”

“Why?” Abe blinked, feeling as if a heavy weight was pressing on her chest. “Why do you call our powers a curse?”

“What else could it possibly be called but a curse?” Ao asked her in return his voice quiet but full of bitterness, “Our village is always under attack, people always targeting us for our powers. They will never stop hating us or hurting us. We will forever be the object of their fear and scorn, because of you.”

Unwanted memories rose to the surface of her mind. Her arms crossed around her stomach as if to shield it. Abi voice was hollow and fragmented when she spoke, “…I…It’s not…So there’s really no escaping…My child and their children….will go through the pain…of being hunted…like I did…?”

She was suddenly overwhelmed by her memories, the cold blade at her throat and the mocking laughter in her ears. Just as she was about to be lost in those memories, a warm weight suddenly touched her shoulder. And she felt the light, light like Guen or Zeno or Shuten. Only instead of white or yellow or green, the light was blue. The soft blue light emanated from him and filled her with peace. She looked up only to see him looking somewhat awkwardly away, before meeting her gaze. And for a moment she saw it, that he really was hers. Hers as much as the child growing within her.

“Listen.” Ao said, his voice gentled as he patted her shoulder, lightly touching her as if she was made of glass. “Listen. This is a bit strange for me, understandably. Because…I’ve always kind of fantasized about punching the first Seiryuu right in the face multiple times in my life. But…I want you to know that it’s alright. Well…no. That’s not what I mean. It’s not alright but…but it can be. Things can change, I know they can.”

“That was…extremely sentimental.” Abi said surprised at the sudden shift to tenderness that the previously infuriated man was showing her. The man flushed suddenly at her words.  

“Trust me, I will take back that part about where I wasn’t going to punch you in the face.” Ao said back gruffly. Abi looked at this man intently, seeing the age in his face, the battles he must have fought and continued to, and her eyes in his. Maybe…if all her children were like this…maybe there was hope for a brighter future. “You take care of him.”

“Who?” Abi asked as Ao looked at her seriously.

“Your successor. You take care of him the best you can.” Ao said firmly, and Abi looked back at him.

“I know I don’t need to tell you the same, but please, take care of that boy you love. I think…I think that’s more important than anything I could promise or give.” Abi said with a weak smile and Ao scoffed.

“As if you need to tell me.” Ao said with a sarcastic lit, “I don’t need anyone to be telling me to do obvious things.”

And that was when she suddenly felt the haze that had settle in the corners of her vision encroach more. She felt it seep into her, pulling her backwards, backwards back through air, back through time into another place—

* * *

Abi awoke with a start, laying on the ground. She immediately, desperately sat up only to be forced down by her dizziness and nausea. And so she waited for the dizziness to pass and the nausea to stop roiling in her gut as she desperately attempted to grasp for the figments of a dream that so quickly evaded her. She knew it was important, more than important. Something absolutely imperative that she was quickly forgetting as he dreams emptied into the dark vault where night-thoughts went in her dark mind. But somehow she remembered, she remembered that it had been something precious. Someone important speaking to her about the most important thing in her world.

Suddenly Abi hugged her belly and curled over on her side, tears filling her eyes and spilling over her red marked cheeks as she desperately attempted to shield her child from her sorrows. She knew that such things were impossible wishes. Certainly as a mother, she could not hope to shield their child from the cruel outside world. But by all the gods in the heavens she could try her absolute best. Abi had decided that she would give her child the best place she could, a home where they would be safe from those that would greedily seek the power of dragon gods. And now more than ever, was Abi determined to do just that.

Abi promised to that dream-vision, that she would do exactly that.


	3. That night on the cliff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened between them kissing and the next morning in chapter one. (Another NSFW)

“You are an imbecile.”

Abi closed the distance between them. With her free hand reaching around the back of Shuten’s head, she pulled his face lower and pressed her lips against his. Shuten froze as if she had unleashed the power of her eyes, completely unresponsive to the kiss. Her heart raced as embarrassment flushed her face. Abi quickly pulled away, wondering just how badly she had misinterpreted Shuten’s actions.

Then his grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her close again. One arm wrapped around her waist as he leaned in to kiss her. His tongue trailed across her lower lip. Abi clutched the fabric of his shirt, pulling him even closer, and deepened the kiss. They kissed like they bickered, trying to one up each other. At one point, his sharp teeth scratched against her lips. He tried to pull away with a mumbled apology but Abi pressed forward to continue. Eventually, they parted breathlessly. His fingers, calloused from a life of fighting, trailed down her cheek and jawline.

“Why did I wait so long to come see you?”

Abi smiled, “I did say that you’re an imbecile.”

Shuten snorted before kissing her again with a slow yet passionate intent. Abi sighed in his mouth as her hands tugged at his shirt. She found the fabric suddenly annoying so she pulled it off. The clothing fluttered to the ground, exposing his scarred skin. Shuten responded by fumbling to untie her sash and slipping his hands beneath the fabric of her shirt. Abi felt her skin sparking at his touch, warmth spreading through her body.

Her heart pounded wildly at a sudden awareness of what they were doing and what she wanted to do. She hadn’t had intimate relations since a brief and rather foolish affair when she was sixteen. Nervous tension prickled on her neck as thoughts sped through her mind.

Shuten’s hands paused, hoovering just over her skin. His orchid eyes stared at her in confusion as Abi pulled away. She bent down to her travel pack, reaching for the rolled up camping blanket.

“Abi-chan”, he asked, watching her smooth the blanket on the ground. “What the heck are you doing?”

“If we’re going to do this”, she replied ignoring the faint heat radiating off her cheeks, “Then I want some semblance of proper bedding.”

Shuten stared in disbelief for a moment before laughing, the sound of his voice fading into the noise of the waves.  

Abi’s head snapped around with a golden glare, “What’s so funny?”

“Proper bedding, heh?” His grin only made Abi narrow her glare, “You’re cute when you’re nervous, Abi-chan.”

“I am not nervous! There’s just no reason to roll around on the dirt.”

That only caused him to laugh again, his dark green hair swaying with the movement and the salty breeze. Abi down sat on the blanket, still glaring at him with her golden eyes and her lips in a pout. She didn’t even care that her shirt was undone and falling off her shoulders. Shuten, however, did as his shaking chuckles dwindled. Staring, he gulped once before sitting down next to her. His fingertips lightly drummed the blanket, not quite touching her hand. His dragon foot was fidgeting slightly as well. It was a habit she recognized; something Shuten unconsciously did when he was anxious.    

Abi leaned back with a slight smile, glancing up at the half-moon and glittering sky. The sound of ocean waves crashing against the cliff was a constant hum. Abi found it a relief that Shuten was a nervous too.

“Okay”, she admitted, “I got a little nervous.”

Dark orchid eyes flickered in her direction as a smug grin spread across his face. His tone was teasing as he spoke, “Don’t worry, Abi-chan. I’ll be gen-”

Abi reached over and tugged his on his long ponytail so that he was staring into her eyes. He hissed out a small “ouch” and blinked at her.

“Finish that sentence and I will paralyze you.”

With her point across, Abi leaned forward to capture his lips in another kiss. He returned it with the same slow passion as before. His hands slid across her shoulders, her shirt slipping off her arms. Shuten’s weight pressed against her, gradually pushing Abi onto the blanket. One of her hands idly ran through his hair and unloosened it from the tie so that long green locks fell down, framing his face. Shuten trailed caresses and kisses across her body, paying apt attention to every noise and twitch she made. His lips quirked in satisfaction at each moan of pleasure that escaped Abi’s mouth.

“…Why am I not surprised that you like watching me squirm”, Abi said breathlessly.

His voice was low and husky as he whispered in her ear, “It’s always entertaining to get a reaction from you, Abi-chan.”

“That’s why you’re so annoying.”

Abi’s fingers edged the hem of his pants as she spoke, lightly stroking his hips. Shuten inhaled sharply as she slid one hand, teasingly slow, beneath the fabric. His breath was hot on her skin, while his body trembled with anticipation and orchid eyes simmered with desire.

“Abi-chan, can I?”

“Gods yes.”

Abi was already peeling off his pants as she spoke. Shuten responded by sliding the pants off her legs as well; and, both articles of clothing were haphazardly kicked aside. Her hands gripped his hips, pulling him closer as he slid inside of her. The thrusting rhythm was slow at first but increased with each moan and whispered encouragement. Abi’s hands trailed up his back, purposely tangling in his long green locks. She kissed him as he continued, gasps and groans breathed into each other. He shuddered as he moaned out her name.            

Done, Shuten collapsed next to her on the blanket with panting breathes. Abi sighed as she listened to the sound of lapping waves crashing against the cliffs. After a minute, she rolled over to face Shuten. His dark green hair was sprawled around his head. His profile sharp as he stared up into the night, and nose crooked from being broken a few too many times. Shuten glanced away from the sky to look at her, a deep emotion glimmering in his dark orchid eyes.

“You’re handsome.”

The second Abi realized she’d spoken aloud her face – already flushed from their exertion – blushed a bright pink. Shuten’s lips formed an impish grin, “I am, huh.”

“You’re also irritating”, she let out a small huff.

Shuten chuckled and reached out, wrapping his arms around her and pulling Abi into a cuddle. He mumbled contently into her pale blue locks, “I wanted this for so long.”

Abi nuzzled against his chest, “Yeah.”


	4. Rainy day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While they wait out a storm at an inn, Shuten writes poetry. (Occurs during ch. 3 of Dragon’s Den.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem written by the awesome OMGitsgreen.

Rain pounded on the shingled roof on the inn as thunder rumbled in the distance. Abi lay on her back, head propped against a blanket she had wadded into a pillow. Her eyes viewed the strings of lightning racing across the clouds above. So far none had struck the ground, instead dancing in the sky and lighting the heavy clouds purples and oranges. After a while, Abi turned her attention from the flashing sky above the roof to her lover. Shuten was sitting in the middle of the small inn room, scribbling in his notebook. His dark orchid eyes intently focused on the paper and his thoughts.

A sly smirk crossed Abi’s lips. She quietly sat up and slowly, silently crawled toward him. She hovered over his shoulder, golden eyes peering down at his hand moving pen across paper. Sure, she could have easily read whatever he was writing from across the room. But Abi wanted to see how long it would take him to notice her.

_She smiles like knife-light glistening on a sharp edge,_

_flashing like lightning and disappearing as fast._

_With moods changing as the tides do_

_—deadly currents ready to pull fools under—_

_my love dances danger into the night._

_Fools such as I,_

_who are slaves to her whims,_

_that shift as the moon’s face does,_

_but remains just as fair,_

_dance with her,_

_trying not to be cut._

_What secrets live on in those dark shadows,_

_what passions rolling in as ill tempered storm clouds,_

_obscuring all constellation-thoughts from me._

_She breathes and makes me tremble so,_

_and return to the shallow harbor of her embrace._

After scratching out a few words and rewriting a few lines, Shuten seemed pleased with his work and recopied it neatly on the next page of his notebook. Abi barely held back a chuckle that he still hadn’t registered her wavering shadow falling over him or her breath wisping against his skin. Such a surprising lack of awareness…  

“Ill tempered?” Abi said in his ear, causing Shuten to startle. He snapped his notebook shut and began to turn around to face her, but Abi stopped him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I should be insulted by that.”

“Abi-chan…”, he grumbled half-heartedly.

“What?” She smiled as cuddled against his back, “Didn’t you want to return to the shallow harbor of my embrace?”

Another drum of thunder resounded outside as Shuten spoke, “This is why I don’t want you reading my poetry.”

“But you’ll whisper it to me while we make love”, Abi hummed in reply as she rested her chin on his shoulder.  

“That’s…different.”


	5. The Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeno receives a letter. (Occurs during ch. 6-7 of Dragon’s Den)

Skin shimmered gold beneath the high noon sun, flecks of red speckled between the scales. It was sickening. So sickening that Zeno collapsed to his knees, his stomach emptying onto the ground muddied by blood. All around him were the lifeless corpses of men he’d fought and killed.

Zeno should have died too. He should have died dozens, hundreds of times. But Ouryuu could not die.

The dragon raised his head toward the cloudless sky, hair as golden as his scales fluttering in the breeze. The scent of rot and decay was already pungent in the air, mingling with the smell of his stomach bile. Zeno lifted an arm and wiped his mouth with the tattered remains of his sleeve. Habitually yet desperately, he reached out to the lights of his fellow dragons. Guen’s white like a fresh layer of snow. Abi’s blue like soft moonbeams on an otherwise dark night. Shuten’s green like the summer leaves of a lush forest canopy.

_Guen, Abi, Shuten…I did it. I protected King Hiryuu._

Zeno hugged his arms around his chest. Guen… It really seemed like he had settled down for good. Zeno supposed he had found a wife and started a family. Meanwhile, Abi and Shuten…They had traveled together for most of the summer, but now they were nearly on opposite corners of Kouka.  

Abi…

Hours earlier, when he was waiting for the first light of day that would start the battle, Zeno was certain he’d felt his dragon sister’s moonlit embrace. Despite how far away they were from each other, it felt as if she’d wrapped her arms around him just like she had the night their King had passed into the heavens. Even now the memory of Abi’s soft blue light encircling him was a comfort, calming the quivers of gold-plated hands.

* * *

Nearly two weeks had passed since his last battle. Zeno – dressed in the fine robes of the royal priest, not the bloodstained shreds of a battle’s aftermath – walked along the castle terrace, heading from his room to the shrine. Bright rays of the midmorning sun promised a warm afternoon.  

“Lord Priest!” A deep voice called out, “I have a message for you.”

Zeno turned to the messenger running up to him. The slender man stopped before the priestly dragon and bowed, holding out the letter. Zeno smiled serenely as he took the letter.

“Thank you.”

Zeno turned away, continuing his pace to the castle shrine. As he walked, clear blue eyes glanced over the letter. It was from Lord Noi, one of the local lords in the Earth Tribe region. The dragon had never interacted with that lord. Zeno couldn’t help but wonder what business Noi had with him. That was when he noticed, his expression freezing in shock. The handwriting was familiar.

“…Abi?”

Zeno paused on the terrace a moment, a gentle breeze brushing through golden locks, before slinking behind the shadow of a red column. He tore open the letter, blue eyes sweeping over Abi’s message. A frown tugged on his mouth. Abi had discovered that Noi was embezzling. With her and the others retired and living anonymously, Zeno was the only one with the authority to do something about it.

The dragon carefully placed the letter in his robe. Curiosity piqued, Zeno closed his eyes and reached out his awareness toward Abi. Her soft blue light was in the direction of Noi’s territory, had been hanging around that area for a while. But that was normal. Since leaving the castle, Abi would often stay in one area for up to half a year at a time before moving on to somewhere else. It was her travels with Shuten – at the rapid and erratic pace only he could manage – that had been unusual.

Zeno was about the let Abi’s light slip from his immediate awareness when he felt…something. He couldn’t quite place it but something seemed different. But her moonlight blue wasn’t faded as if she were sick or injured. No, it was just as bright as ever. So why…?

Zeno lightly shook his head with golden-blond locks swaying, “Perhaps it’s just my imagination.”

As he moved out of the column’s shade, the priestly dragon patted his robe where he’d hidden the letter. Zeno had matters of state to deal with, including convincing the advisers to send an inquiry.


	6. Divulge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the first time Abi had ever divulged details on what had happened that day to Shuten.

Rays of sunlight fell through the canopy of bright green. The sounds of crunching leaves and laughter mixed with the birdsong. It was a silly and childish game, chasing each other around the forest. Shuten was quick but Abi always saw him coming and would loop around, her laughter drifting through the trees like an apparition. Eventually, he spotted her standing in the middle of clearing they’d set camp. Her face was flushed from all the running as she panted to catch her breath. For Abi to be standing in such an obvious spot, she must be bored of the game. She was either planning to get caught or to turn the tables on him. Well, Shuten thought, there was one way to find out.

With a smirk, the green-haired dragon jumped up in the air and then casually landed behind her. Abi playfully tried to squirm away as Shuten caught her in an embrace. He pressed his lips against her neck, eliciting a sigh as the woman stilled and melted against him.

Shuten breathed across her skin with amusement, “And just like that I could do whatever I want with you.”

Her muscles suddenly tensed as Abi took a sharp breath.

“Abi-ch-”

She thrashed out, pushing away from him. Orchid eyes wide with shock as Shuten let her go. Abi stumbled forward a few steps and then sank to the ground, curling her arms defensively around herself. Her golden eyes had that hollow look. The one that meant she was lost in unpleasant memories of being captured.

Bile rose in the back of Shuten’s throat. His words had caused such a reaction, meaning one of those bastards that hurt her had said something similar. The implications of that…He had always suspected they had threatened her with that particular brand of torture. Shuten’s fists clutched tight, nails digging into skin, as he wanted to kick in those bastards’ skulls all over again.

The dragon shook his head, his ponytail swaying behind him, and let out a long exhale. Abi didn’t need anger right now. He sat down in the grass next to her, carefully putting an arm around her shoulders. Shuten half-expected her to flinch or push him away. Instead Abi lay down, using his leg as a pillow. His arm dropped as he began to gently comb through her pale blue locks.

After a few minutes, she spoke in a low murmur, “The first group of soldiers…They said that Yoo Seung gave them permission to do whatever they wanted with me, as long as the dragon eyes weren’t damaged…”

Shuten scowled but said nothing. This was the first time Abi had ever divulged details on what had happened that day to him. If he interrupted, then there would be no telling when she’d open up about it again.

“I used my power after that…Killed them…But that was exactly what Yoo Seung had wanted. He told them that to force me to use my power…”

Abi glanced up at him, unearthly golden eyes flashing with iridescence. The brokenness lingering even all these years later. Shuten thought he better understood why. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be betrayed, have every vulnerability exploited, and then for the proud and ferocious power of a dragon to become the very thing that led to defeat.

Abi grimaced like she had swallowed something bitter, “After that…He wanted to see my eyes up close, wanted to see if they were as beautiful as rumored…”

Shuten remembered the bloody indentions from nails that had dug into her skin. It seemed like such a small thing compared to the other injuries she’d suffered that day, but the casual cruelty of it was still just as sickening now as it was seven years ago. Shuten bent down and softly kissed her forehead. He slowly pulled away, resting his hand on her head as Abi shifted and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her breathing was even and quiet but water soon soaked through his pants leg. 

They stayed like that for hours, until the sun began to dip toward the western horizon.    


	7. A distant light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuten frequented the type of place that would make Abi stick her nose up like the noble she was.

Shuten fell from the dusky purple sky, a bitter wind whipping about his cloak and blowing green bangs away from his face. Glimmering yellow lights of a small city seemed to grow with his descent. The lights then vanished behind tall city walls as he landed a short distance away, snow crunching and caving beneath his boots. Shuten hurried down the road and through the open gates, the city guards barely giving any of the travelers a glance. He strolled casually through the streets. The buildings became more and more run down as he went. The people too showed signs of hardship with dulled eyes and ragged clothing.  

Finally he reached his destination, pushing the bar door open. A man with a thin scar across his chin briefly glanced up from his pipe and huffed out a cloud of smoke. There was a rough looking group sitting in a shaded corner, dice and coin and booze scattered across the table. The smell of alcohol, tobacco and hemp, and unwashed bodies stagnated in the air. This was the type of place that would make Abi stick her nose up like the noble she was. Perhaps that was why Shuten kept ending up in the dark underbelly of various towns and cities. It was a realm he could never associate with dragons and crimson curls and golden orbs.  

Shuten shook those thoughts from his head and strode up to the bar, sliding into a stool. The bartender, a stout man with balding head and crooked nose, stared at Shuten a second before pouring a drink.

“Still haven’t patched things up with your girl”, the bartender noted more than questioned.

Shuten scowled, “I told you last time. She’d just push me away again.”

The bartender just shrugged as if to say “if you think so” before sitting the drink in front of the dragon. Shuten glowered a moment but then grabbed the cup and took a gulp. The burn down his throat was oddly soothing. (Nothing would ever match the pain of dragon’s blood searing his throat and boiling in his veins, his leg flaming with the overwhelming heat of a wildfire as skin forged into scales.)  As he drank, his awareness unconsciously wondered to Abi.

He could feel her moonlit blue light, all stretched and swollen and strange. He had noticed it months ago, felt it get worse and worse as autumn chilled into winter. It didn’t feel quite like when one of them got sick or seriously injured, where their lights would become faint and faded. Still it was new and the cause unknown to him; worry gnawed at Shuten like a rabid, starving wolf. He had considered rushing to her, just to see what was wrong, time and time again. However, each time her parting words would always come unbidden.

_“Shuten, we can’t keep doing this…”_

His feet would pause mid-step, unable to move until he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Dreams of Abi sick or injured or just her – her flashing gold eyes and sky hued locks, her porcelain skin and soft lips, her voice both sharp as a dagger’s edge and gentle as a moonbeam drifting through a black canopy – haunted his sleep. He had almost convinced himself to go to her a few weeks ago. However, he had then felt Guen’s white light beside her blue. If Guen was there, then Abi would be alright. She wouldn’t need him. And when Guen’s light once again moved away from her, surely it was because Abi was fine despite the strangeness of her presence. Guen wouldn’t have left her alone otherwise.

Fear suddenly caught in the back of his throat, ruining the alcohol’s flavor. Abi’s moonlit blue was stretching again, not subtlety over the weeks like it had been. But quickly and almost violently, as if her moon-like light were a cloth being stretched so far that it was beginning to rip apart.

“The hell”, Shuten muttered with a frantic edge.

A decision was made before he realized it. Shuten tossed a few coins on the table and then rushed back out into the bitter winter chill, the bar door swinging shut behind him with a hollow thud. The dragon didn’t bother walking out of the city before jumping. Shuten jumped straight up a few steps out the door, much to the jaw dropping shock of a homeless man leaning against the ally wall. The dragon flew out of the city, soaring over hills and forests. He jumped and bounded as if trying to reach the sun before it sunk below the western horizon.

However, the sun soon vanished completely. Inky darkness cloaked the landscape and obscured the ground far below. Shuten landed with a jolt, breathlessly cursing. He was tempted to keep going but the levelheaded voice in his head – which sounded strangely like a certain blond – reminded him that he would be no help to Abi if he broke his neck because it was too dark for a proper landing. So the dragon collapsed right on the frosted grass. He panted as his lungs stung, protesting the sudden cross-country sprint, and closed his eyes.  

Shuten could sense an undercurrent of sharp, intense pain flowing from Abi’s blue hue and through the connection shared by the Four Dragon Warriors. He could sense Zeno, his confusion and fear echoing through his golden-yellow light. He could sense Guen’s snowy white light bubbling with anxiety yet steady and reassuring. A stray thought wisped through Shuten’s mind: Guen knew something that he and Zeno did not.

Finally the winter moon rose high up, its gentle beams bathing the earth. With the perfectly round moon lighting his way, Shuten took to the skies again. The dragon continued on and on through the night. His mind sharped into tunnel vision, focused solely on Abi’s blue light writhing in pain. Shuten barely acknowledged the sky lightening to a soft pink at his back. He was completely unaware of the exhaustion aching through his muscles or the hunger grumbling in his stomach or the thirst scratching his throat. All that mattered was that Abi – his partner, friend, and lover – was in pain.

The sun sat above Shuten’s head when he suddenly tumbled from the crisp blue sky as if struck by a stray arrow. He managed a crash landing in a softened pile of snow, his winter cloak twisted and tangled around his body. The dragon sat up and muttered curses as he wiped damp snow from his face. One hand gripped the boot covering his dragon leg. Had he over exerted himself? No, he wasn’t that exhausted yet. It was like…It was like the will of the gods had left him.

And then Shuten felt it flicker into his awareness. A tiny green light that matched his hue. A tiny green light that was tethered to him by a shared power. A tiny green light that was nestled next to Abi’s blue, her moonlit color dimming as if she were exhausted.

Oh. 

Oh!

“Fuck.”          


	8. Bane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wrath of a dragon is frightening. The wrath of parents even more so.

The bright city lanterns and torches scattered the inky cloak of night, allowing Shuten to freely jump from rooftop to rooftop as he pleased. His dark orchid eyes were set on the mansion at the city’s heart. The cold winter chill rushed in his ears and billowed out his cloak as the dragon descended to another roof and then leaped again. Finally he landed on the mansion’s roof tile. Shuten quickly counted the windows, finding the one Abi had told him was Noi’s personal office. He pulled a small dagger and pried the closed window open, careful to leave it appearing as untouched as possible.

He slipped in the office and scanned the room. With none of the lanterns or candles lit, it was dark and shadowy. Only the dim moonlight drifting through the window allowed Shuten to see. The desk with littered with paperwork and letters. There was a shelf filled books and more paperwork. A fancy wine rack holding bottles and bottles of various alcohols was against the other wall. Everything was exactly as Abi had described. Not for the first time, Shuten wondered if a detailed memory was an aspect of her power or just an aspect of Abi. He went over to the wine rack, spitefully grabbing the most expensive bottle and a cup. Shuten poured himself a drink and then waited.  

When the sun had set the eastern horizon aflame in the hue of his late King’s wavy locks, footsteps echoed through the halls toward the office. The door slid open, and Noi walked inside. The man’s brown eyes widened at the sight of the unexpected company. All the blood drained from his face once he registered the intruder’s identity. Noi attempted to scramble back out the door, tried to yell for help. But before he could do so, the Dragon Warrior slammed him against the floor. The dragon leg pinned him, making it impossible to escape and near impossible for Noi to even breathe.

“Did you really think you could target one dragon and not bring the rest of our wrath down on you?” Shuten growled, his eyes blazing with fury as bloodlust rolled off him like a storm.

Noi let out a panicked wheeze.

“I could crush your ribs and lungs and heart right now beneath my boot”, the dragon snarled, pressing more weight down on his prey. His dagger-like teeth were bared menacingly as Shuten continued, “I’d love to do that, more than you could possibly know. But luckily for you, I’m just here to deliver a message: If you ever attempt to locate any of us again. If the word about Seiryuu’s pregnancy ever gets out. If you ever act against the royal family and priest again. If you ever tell a soul about this visit of mine. Do any of those things, and the last thing you see before you die will be the eyes of Seiryuu.”

With much reluctance and a furious huff, Shuten slowly raised his foot off of Noi’s chest. Noi gasped and spattered for breath as the Dragon Warrior disappeared back out the window. The only hints of his presence remaining were the bruise forming where he had stepped on Noi, a few faint and only noticeable if you were looking blade marks on the windowsill, the half drank bottle of wine, and the empty glass sitting next to it on the desk.

Once he’d regained his breath, Noi staggered up and reached for the bottle with hands shaking so much that drops of wine spilled out. Tilting his head back, he gulped the wine down with frantic greed.

* * *

Later that day, Shuten was wandering the busy market with a rather long list in hand. Hushed whispers began to echo across the city, spreading the still unofficial news. Overhearing one of those whisperings, Shuten sneered cruelly before continuing with his shopping.      


	9. Come over here and make me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Come over here and make me.” gs!Abi/Shuten (and nsfw if possible, but not necessary) ^^ (AKA a prompt fic; and yes, it's NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a prompt I got a while back on tumblr, when Dragon's Den was maybe 1/3rd or so complete. I've decided to finally add it here since I always pictured it occurring shorty after the epilogue.

Abi sat curled on the soft cushion, propped against the wall with a book open in her hands. Her golden eyes read across the page of familiar scrawlings. Soft, nearly inaudible murmurs drifted from the other room. After a while the murmuring quieted, and Shuten walked through the doorframe with the same type of gentle smile King Hiryuu had often given little Yakshi.

“Asleep?” Abi questioned while turning another page.

“Yeah”, Shuten’s smile slowly faded as he noticed exactly which book she was reading, “…Abi-chan, why are you reading my notebook?”

Her lips quirked up in amusement as she shrugged nonchalantly.

“Give it back, Abi-chan”, Shuten grumbled.

Abi glanced up at him, her golden irises glinting iridescent. When she spoke, her voice dripped in mischief and sultry promises, “Come over here and make me.”

He raised an eyebrow as a toothy grin slid across his face, “Oh? So that’s how it is.”

There was a suddenly flurry of movement as Abi jumped to her feet at the same time Shuten lunged forward. She got just a few steps before one of his arms looped around her waist, while the other grabbed her hand that was clutching his notebook. Abi half-heartedly squirmed as Shuten’s breath tickled against her ear.

“Give it back, Abi-chan.”

“Make me”, she repeated with a small laugh.    

Shuten nibbled down her neck in response, causing Abi to suck in an unsteady breath. With her struggling against that particular distraction, he slowly pried her fingers from his poetry book. Finally, Abi surrendered the book with a content sigh. Shuten haphazardly tossed it to the table and turned back to his lover, kissing her mouth. Abi fervently returned the kiss while pulling the tie from his hair – a cascade of dark green tumbling loose – and unbuttoning his shirt.

“It’s been too long”, Abi mumbled onto his lips.  

“It has”, Shuten mumbled back as he undid the sash on her dress and slid the fabric off her body.

Their clothes fluttered to the floor as they fell back onto the cushions. Shuten’s hands and mouth adoringly caressed every inch of her skin, eliciting soft moans from her lips. Abi blinked, dazedly realizing he was lavishing quite a bit of attention on the pinkish streaks that now marred her belly and breasts.

“Don’t look at those”, she muttered causing dark orchid eyes to glance up, “They’re embarrassing.”

“They’re no more embarrassing than your battle scars. And you know what I think of your scars, right, Abi-chan?”

To prove his point, he lightly kissed the discolored skin where she’d once been stabbed just above her hip as one of his hands slowly trailed up her thigh. Golden eyes and red lips were both quivering with desire before Shuten slid a finger inside of her. With a gasping sigh, Abi tangled her fingers in dark green locks. He started kissing and nibbling her neck again as she shuddered with pleasure, moaning out his name.

When Abi stilled, except for the panting rise and fall of her chest, Shuten shifted his arms and nuzzled against her. Abi sighed breathlessly as she spun a lock of dark green around her fingers. Her toes brushed against the scratchy jade scales of his dragon foot as her bare legs entwined with his. A tiny frown of annoyance pulled at her lips that the fabric of his pants still separated them. So, once she caught her breath, Abi began tugging at his pants.

Shuten chuckled against her shoulder, “You’re impatient.”

“Naptime won’t last forever”, was her blunt reply.

He quickly got out of his pants then, kicking the last of his clothing aside. Abi kissed his lips again as she wrapped one leg over his hip. His hand pressed against her lower back, pulling her close as he pushed inside of her. Despite their limited time, Shuten slowly built up the thrusting rhythm. Abi clutched at his shoulders and loose hair as their shuddering gasps of pleasure blended. Orchid eyes glazed over with desire, Shuten thrusted one last time before pulling out.

They lay beside each other, foreheads pressed together and legs still tangled. Shuten reached up, gently caressing the red marking under golden eye. Abi smiled in contentment, enjoying the peace and quiet and afterglow. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as a few minutes later Abi suddenly sat up.  

“Abi-chan?”

“Ki-Eun’s coming”, she simply stated.

Shuten muttered a curse as the two dragons quickly scrambled to get dressed. Abi had just put her blue hair back into its usual half-bun when the elder woman’s knuckles knocked at the door. Sparing a quick glance to make sure Shuten was decent, Abi hurried to the door and greeted Ki-Eun with a forced smile. Ki-Eun slowly looked from Abi holding the door open – reddened love bites peeking from the neckline of her rumpled shirt – to Shuten with his long hair falling freely over his shoulders and fingers still fumbling with the top button of his shirt. The old woman raised an eyebrow.

“Already trying for another one, huh?”


End file.
